How housing and feeding systems influence tail biting in piglets

Tail biting is a nagging problem in swine production. Increasingly, especially in the EU, tail docking is no longer considered to be the way ahead, which forces the industry to ask why tail biting occurs. Housing, feeding systems as well as diet formulation all have a role to play, explains nutrition expert Dr Francesc Molist of Schothorst Feed Research in the Netherlands. A recent trial performed at Schothorst Feed Research explored how feeder access and stocking density affect growth, feed